#2018 WINNER Concert

[psychics4unet]

20 Simpsons Psychic Predictions That Came True 🚀

Hey there, fellow Simpsons fans! 🎉 If you’ve been following The Simpsons, you know that this iconic show isn’t just about laughs and donuts (though we love those too). It’s also about some eerily accurate predictions that have left us all scratching our heads. 🤔 How did this cartoon get so many things right about the future? Grab a seat, grab a donut 🍩, and let’s dive into some of the wildest psychic predictions from The Simpsons that actually came true! 🚀

🌟🔮✨ Curious about what the future holds for you? Just like The Simpsons predicted some mind-blowing events, you too can uncover what’s in store for your life. Click the link below for your own personal psychic reading and get insights that might just amaze you:

1. Donald Trump’s Presidency 🇺🇸

Season 11, Episode 17 (“Bart to the Future”)

In this episode from the year 2000, Lisa becomes the president and mentions that they inherited quite a budget crunch from President Trump. Fast forward to 2016, and Donald Trump becomes the 45th president of the United States. What the what?! 😲

2. Smartwatches ⌚

Season 6, Episode 19 (“Lisa’s Wedding”)

During a future vision of Lisa’s wedding, her fiancé uses a watch to make a phone call. This was in 1995, way before smartwatches became a thing in the 2010s. Talk about being ahead of the curve! 📱

3. Disney Buys 20th Century Fox 🏰🦊

Season 10, Episode 5 (“When You Dish Upon a Star”)

In 1998, there’s a scene showing the 20th Century Fox sign with a subtitle “A Division of Walt Disney Co.” In 2019, Disney actually bought 21st Century Fox. Coincidence? I think not! 🎬

4. Video Chatting 💻

Season 6, Episode 19 (“Lisa’s Wedding”)

Again in Lisa’s Wedding, we see video calls being made. This was years before Skype, FaceTime, or Zoom became part of our daily lives. The Simpsons were definitely on to something here! 🖥️

5. The Shard in London 🏙️

Season 6, Episode 19 (“Lisa’s Wedding”)

In the same episode (wow, it’s like a crystal ball!), we see a skyline that includes a skyscraper eerily similar to The Shard, which wasn’t built until 2012. 👀

6. Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl Performance 🎤

Season 23, Episode 22 (“Lisa Goes Gaga”)

In 2012, The Simpsons showed Lady Gaga performing at a concert, suspended in the air. Fast forward to 2017, and Gaga did exactly that at the Super Bowl halftime show. Fly, Gaga, fly! 🎇

7. Nobel Prize Winner 🏅

Season 22, Episode 1 (“Elementary School Musical”)

Milhouse predicted that Bengt Holmström would win the Nobel Prize in Economics. And guess what? Holmström did win it in 2016. Way to go, Milhouse! 📊

8. Ebola Outbreak 🌍

Season 9, Episode 3 (“Lisa’s Sax”)

In this 1997 episode, Marge suggests that Bart read a book titled “Curious George and the Ebola Virus.” Years later, in 2014, there was a significant Ebola outbreak. Chills! 😬

9. Siegfried and Roy Tiger Attack 🐅

Season 5, Episode 10 (“$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)”)

The show depicted a white tiger attacking entertainers similar to Siegfried and Roy. Tragically, in 2003, Roy was indeed attacked by one of their white tigers during a performance. 😥

10. U.S. Wins Olympic Gold in Curling 🥌

Season 21, Episode 12 (“Boy Meets Curl”)

Homer and Marge compete in curling and win a gold medal. In real life, the U.S. men’s team won the gold medal in curling at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Sweep that, skeptics! 🥇

But wait, there’s more! Let’s keep this prediction train rolling with some honorable mentions that didn’t make the top 10 but are still pretty mind-blowing. 🚂💨

11. Horse Meat Scandal 🐴

Season 5, Episode 19 (“Sweet Seymour Skinner’s Baadasssss Song”)

Lunchlady Doris used “assorted horse parts” in the cafeteria food. In 2013, a scandal erupted in Europe when horse meat was found in various beef products.

12. FIFA Corruption Scandal ⚽

Season 25, Episode 16 (“You Don’t Have to Live Like a Referee”)

The episode features a storyline involving corruption in the World Football Federation. In 2015, several FIFA officials were arrested amid a corruption investigation.

13. Farmville 🚜

Season 9, Episode 12 (“Bart Carny”)

In this 1998 episode, kids are seen excitedly playing a yard work simulator game. Fast forward to the 2000s, and Farmville became a massive hit on Facebook.

14. Faulty Voting Machines 🗳️

Season 20, Episode 4 (“Treehouse of Horror XIX”)

Homer tries to vote for Obama in the 2008 election, but the machine keeps changing his vote to McCain. In 2012, there were real reports of voting machines changing votes.

15. Beats by Dre 🎧

Season 8, Episode 14 (“The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show”)

In a scene from 1997, we see a character wearing what looks like modern-day Beats by Dre headphones, years before they existed.

16. Mutant Tomatoes 🍅

Season 11, Episode 5 (“E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)”)

Homer grows mutant tomatoes after using nuclear power on his crops. In real life, scientists created genetically modified tomatoes that glow in the dark.

17. NSA Surveillance 🕵️

The Simpsons Movie (2007)

The movie depicted the NSA spying on citizens. In 2013, Edward Snowden revealed that the NSA was indeed conducting mass surveillance on American citizens.

18. Shard Building in London 🏙️

Season 6, Episode 19 (“Lisa’s Wedding”)

We see a tall building in the London skyline that resembles The Shard, which was completed in 2012.

19. Michelangelo’s David Censorship 🗿

Season 2, Episode 9 (“Itchy & Scratchy & Marge”)

The episode shows Springfieldians protesting against Michelangelo’s David being exhibited. In 2016, Russian campaigners did try to cover the statue.

20. Autocorrect Fail 📱

Season 6, Episode 8 (“Lisa on Ice”)

Dolph writes a memo that says “Beat up Martin” which gets autocorrected to “Eat up Martha.” Apple’s iPhone autocorrect has had many such hilarious fails.

It’s wild, right? How does a cartoon get so many things right? Well, it’s probably a mix of clever writing, sharp observation, and maybe a bit of that Springfield magic. ✨

And it's not just us hardcore fans who are intrigued. Thanks to the internet, more and more people are discovering the spooky accuracy of The Simpsons' predictions. Social media platforms are buzzing with theories and speculations. Reddit threads are filled with fans dissecting episodes, and YouTube is packed with videos analyzing every prediction. It's like a virtual treasure hunt where every frame might hold a secret clue to our future! 🔮

Some folks even believe that the writers have a time machine or some sort of psychic ability. While that’s probably a stretch, it’s fun to think about! One thing’s for sure – The Simpsons will keep surprising us with their uncanny knack for predicting the future.

Whether you’re a longtime fan or just curious about the show’s “psychic” tendencies, it’s clear that The Simpsons is more than just a TV show. It’s a pop culture phenomenon that continues to influence and amuse us, while also making us think twice about what might come next. So, next time you’re watching, pay close attention – you might just be getting a sneak peek into the future! 🕵️‍♂️✨

Stay curious, my friends! And remember, the truth is out there… or maybe just in the next episode of The Simpsons. 🌟🚀

[d-criss-news]

Darren Criss Live at Tre Posti Vineyards

Pre-Concert Wine Tasting Reception • Live Concert in the Vineyard • Post-Concert 3-Course Vintner's Dinner

Time & Location Jul 25, 2024, 6:00 PM Tre Posti Vineyards, 641 Main St, St Helena, CA 94574, USA

About the event Please note: Concert is at 7:30pm. Arrival time varies based on ticket type. Broadway & Vine invites you to an unforgettable evening pairing some of Napa Valley most beloved vintner's with a concert by Golden Globe, Primetime Emmy, Critic's Choice, and SAG Award Winner Darren Criss (TV: Glee, Ryan Murphy’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, Hollywood, Broadway/Off Broadway: Maybe Happy Ending, Little Shop of Horrors, American Buffalo, Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2015), How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying) at Tre Posti's Vineyard. For this concert, Darren will be performing a playlist of songs featured throughout his wildly eclectic career as both a songwriter and performer.  Supplement your concert experience with a pre-concert wine tasting reception and post concert Vintner's dinner.

Since bursting onto the pop-culture landscape over a decade ago, Darren Criss has embodied the kind of kaleidoscopic artistry that’s entirely uninhibited by form or genre.  Before Darren Criss exploded into the internet’s subculture as both an actor and songwriter for the YouTube viral hit A Very Potter Musical in 2009, he had made a small name for himself playing unique interpretations of popular songs he’d perform at cafes and bars in his hometown of San Francisco.  Little did he know that the same knack for covering tunes would serve him well in 2010, when he was cast on FOX’s massively successful musical series Glee, from which many of his performances of popular songs would lead to several Billboard-topping records.  In 2015 his songwriting also landed an Emmy nomination for Best Original Music and Lyrics, from penning the song “This Time” for the show’s series finale.

Criss has continued to write and produce music extensively through the years, whether for his own releases as an artist or as a songwriter for theater, film & television.  In 2019 Criss created, executive produced, starred in, and provided all the original songs for his short-form musical comedy series Royalties, and earlier this year provided the music & lyrics for the opening number of the 2022 Tony Awards: Act One.  As an artist, he most recently delivered a genre-diverse collection of "character-driven" singles as part of his 2021 solo EP titled “Masquerade” (BMG), and in the same year, released a full-length Christmas album titled- aptly- A Very Darren Crissmas (Decca).

As an actor, Criss is a veteran of the stage whose Broadway credits include the titular role of Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2015), How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (2012), and the most recent 2022 revival of David Mamet’s seminal play American Buffalo alongside Laurence Fishburne and Sam Rockwell.  In 2018 his work in Ryan Murphy’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story received wide critical acclaim, earning him a Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and Critics’ Choice Award.  He was most recently seen starring in Netflix’s hit series Hollywood, for which he also served as executive producer.”

Please Note: The event will be held outdoors at sunset and the temperature will vary. Seating is based on party size and arrival time, and is up to the discretion of the event management. No seat is greater than 35 feet from the stage in this exclusive Broadway concert experience.  ALL SALES FINAL.

[gotasenseivebeenbetrayed]

I know some of us, me included, have some-what struggled heavily with all the Matty talk/speculation.

While I love just listening to Taylor and appreciating the songs for what they are and how I can relate to them. I also love the idea of trying to guess who each song is about and as I'm open-minded I've done my fair share of digging into Gaylor/Kaylor/Swiftgron as well as now, Maylor. And honestly up until Maylor, I thought it was always pretty easy to see how many holes were in the Gaylor theories and while there are holes still in Maylor, there are also - unfortunately, a lot of things that do add up to Matty being the "big muse" over Harry.

And yet, while I do see those things and sometimes have a hard time being 100% that Harry is still the big muse - I'm still here trying to convince myself. Lol

So if you also need it - buckle up & follow along, this will be long

Just to get it out of the way, it is impossible for anything from Red or 1989 to be about Matty. I know I've seen a lot of people trying to connect him into it and it's just not possible as both came out before the two ever met.

The first public interaction of either of this was on Nov 8th 2014 when Taylor liked this tumblr post of Matty wearing a 1989 shirt.

For reference 1989 originally came out Oct 27 2018 and Red Oct 22 2012. Both of those are before Nov 2018. And while Matty did say they met some time in October of 2018 (British Matt, 25, who wore a Taylor Swift 1989 shirt on stage earlier this month, told how he and the Grammy award winner had met in October - This was in this article by DailyMail posted on Nov 2018), she did not meet him and write songs about him for 1989 the same month it was being released. So according to Matty's own word, they met Oct 2018 and exchanged numbers.

Then their first official meeting in public was Nov 19 2018 when Taylor, Selena and co went to a 1975 concert. This is the concert where Harry was rumored to also be at according to US Weekly & earlier that day US Weekly posted another article claiming Taylor & Harry were talking again/friends. And I'd also like to note that I'd wager a guess that Harry introduced Taylor to The 1975 because back in 2013, Harry tweeted quite a few times about The 1975. Then back in March 2014 Harry was prank called by Matty so Matty had Harry's number.

Taylor was apparently super excited about her & Harry talking again, they apparently went to the concert together. So it'd be super unlikely after just having exchanged numbers with Matty & meeting him two or three times she'd already be obsessed with him to write songs about.

On Dec 2nd 2014 Taylor & Harry were both in London during the VS Fashion Show. So they were still friendly at that point & DailyMail posted an article saying they had drinks at a bar after.

Our third official meeting between the two was another The 1975 concert Dec. 4th 2014 in NY - yes this the same concert Kissgate happened. From there articles were being posted about them rumored to be dating. But during that same time on Dec 8th 2014, there was a blind item that Ali Lohan and Matty were hooking up. Then officially started circulating Dec 24th 2014. And both of them were supposedly at that Dec 4th show in the VIP Section.

Now if we're going to add into the fact because of Taylor stupidly mouthing the whole "This song is for you, you know who you are. I love you." last year before Cardigan and Matty having done that same thing a few days earlier at one of his concerts. People believe Cardigan and therefor August and Betty are all about Matty & Taylor and I'm assuming Ali but, I don't know for sure. If we're going based on the lyrics and idea of it being Matty & Taylor, this was the only time they would've been "dating" back then and Ali was the only one he was accused of cheating with so August would have to be Ali. And based on the lyrics, if they're to be believed. August did NOT know about Betty, Ali would've known about Taylor because not only was there rumors circulating then about T&M dating, Ali was supposedly at the same show as T, in the same section as her. August also implies the affair happened in summer but, once again T&M didn't even meet until late fall and A&M rumors and T&M rumors didn't start til Dec which is winter. Also want to add there was a blind item that said Ali & Matty sent Taylor a photo of them in bed together which is wild, obviously doesn't mean it's true but, if it were true it would indicate that Ali most def. did know about Taylor.

So based on what we know they knew each other from an unknown date in Oct and exchanged numbers then Taylor appeared at 2 of his shows between Nov and Dec. Dec. 4th is when rumors started they were dating and by Dec. 8th Matty was hooking up with Ali Lohan and him and Taylor were apparently already over. Then around Feb 24th 2015 Ellie Goulding introduced Tay & Calvin and they started dating very quickly after.

Now Maylors are trying to say that this night below which is from Feb 25th 2015 is probably the night that Taylor wrote "Exile" about saying that Matty seeing Taylor with Calvin was the whole "I can see you standing honey with his arms around your body". And Matty being jealous over Calvin. Firstly, T&C weren't even fully dating yet, they had just met and were flirting. And if they (M&T) were truly dating in Dec. 2014 and then Matty cheated on her with Ali and Taylor was "head over heels" for Matty enough to write all these songs about him - why would they be within the same area as the other? Taylor is generally not nice to her exes, especially if they screw her over and Matty would've screwed her over heavily if everything was true.

However, funnily enough there were also blind items around Dec that came out before the rumors did that suggested Taylor was going to be in a PR Relationship with Matty as a way of "roughing" up her image a bit. Normally, I do not take too much stock in blind items as anyone can submit one but, sometimes there are real ones and this one seems to be legit as they called out what would happen (T&M wouldn't ever be seen holding hands, kissing etc. but they'd be spotted supporting each other at shows and event photos of them near each other would be taken just to get people talking and as long as Matty didn't screw it up, they'd write a contract for 2015 then a week later articles were being published of them "dating" & Taylor was shown at his 2nd concert, then Matty did end up screwing things up by sleeping with Ali & that ended their possible contract).

Blind 1 & Blind 2

On her birthday in 2014 she tweeted about how she'd like the media to stop claiming she was dating her friends which was obviously a hint at both Matty and Karlie since rumors were going on about both.

By late Feb Taylor was with Calvin which lasted a year (until June 2016) and we can conclude from Taylor's own lyrics (Getaway Car and High Infidelity) she probably cheated on him. There was also a blind item that suggested she was cheating on him and when she wrote This is What We Came For with him it was about the man she was cheating on him with and he had no idea at the time. After they broke up, he wrote Ole and the entire MV was taking jabs at Harry which why would he do unless Harry was the one she cheated with.

I couldn't find an exact date but, sometime in 2015 Matty started dating an 18 year old model named Gabriella Brooks and they dated until 2019. Obviously, cheating could happen so them both having partners doesn't mean they weren't together in secret but, yeah it's leaves very little room for Cardigan, August & Betty considering the "chase two girls, lose the one" if Matty was in a relationship after Taylor started dating another man and then she got with Joe before Matty & Gabriella even broke up.

Also on Jan 20th Matty did a radio interview with Australia's 2DayFM and said

"It's all bloody fake. It's a farce." "We met each other, we exchanged numbers in the same way that a lot of people in this kind of world do, and we spoke occasionally," he said. "She's the biggest pop star in the world and I'm in Australia. There's no relationship or anything happening. It's just funny how people really, really buy into that."

In an interview with Q magazine in March 2016 Matty said he never dated Taylor. He called it a flirtation, said she wasn't a big impact on his life, and this was also the interview where he said it would have been emasculating to only be known as Taylor Swift's boyfriend.

He also said this later on when he was correcting the narrative about that interview and how people said he was being misogynistic.

 I had fears of being 'somebody's boyfriend' (remember this is all speculation as we never dated!)

Feb 20 2020 they saw each other at the NME Awards and Matty said

"She was just stood behind me. I mean, I haven't seen Taylor in years so it was actually a really nice room."

So in 2020 he said they hadn't seen each other in years and he wanted to collab with her. And going off the other interviews he did, they never dated and only talked occasionally - so I'd bet money those blind items were correct and Matty fucked up any possibility of an official PR contract back in 2015 by sleeping with Ali and that they never actually hung out outside of her going to those few concert shows and then backstage at certain events. Even if they were wanting to keep their relationship secret, he did not talk about her in a light that even remotely hints at anything. And if she was writing all these songs about having a secret relationship with him why would he lie and say they hadn't even seen each other in years? He didn't need to mention that and why would he publicly talk about being nervous to talk to her again and ask her to collab if they had been having a secret affair?

Now another thing Maylors claim is that Taylor/Matty wrote songs about each other over the years and that there were songs from Midnights and Being Funny in a Foreign Language about one another but, Matty said in an interview in Nov 2022 that Taylor had only heard "bits and pieces" of their album thanks to Jack. So it does not sound like they wrote songs about each other.

Then Jan 2023 is when Taylor surprise performed for The 1975 in London which again, remember, originally Harry was who Matty wanted.

Also want to add that by Dec 2022 it seems like Taylor might've already had an idea in her mind for The Tortured Poet's Department because Matty posted this photo kissing Pheobe where he said "Gay Poets Society" referencing the 1989 classic film "Dead Poets Society." which Taylor also referenced in the Fortnight video. And they were on speaking terms at this point because Matty claims they worked together for Midnights but it was scrapped. She told us herself she started working on TTPD directly after Midnights and if Matty/Pheobe were possibly already hinting the name of it in Dec of 2022 then it's safe to say she probably already had the title track written at that point as well as Fortnight and already had the idea for the Fortnight video in her head and therefore it makes no sense for those to be about Matty when both are talking about a relationship that's already ended and this would've been before they "dated" last year.

Also, I don't think Matty and Pheobe would jokingly kiss if he was secretly with Taylor, especially since when Matty was "dating" Taylor last year he stopped kissing random fans/bandmates on stage as a show of respect to her.

Then we have Matty taking shots at Harry over the years.

In Jan 2019 he tweeted he wanted to produce Harry's new album but, that he needed Harry's new number because was "definitely blocked".

In Jan 2023 Matty said he asked Harry to be an opener for The 1975 and got told no. Apparently this was the concert that Taylor ended up doing instead. Which again, if they were having a secret affair all this time and pining for each other why the hell would invite her ex to perform as an opening instead of her?

Then in Feb 2023 he accused Harry of queerbaiting..by doing the same shit he himself does.

[broadwaydivastournament]

Broadway Divas Tournament: Round 4

Six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald (1970) holds the record for most Tony acting awards a person has ever won. She is one of five actors to be nominated across all four respective acting categories and the only person to win every one (and the only actress out of the three who is still living...). Her stage work includes: Ragtime (1998), Porgy and Bess (2012), and Lady Day at Emmerson's Bar and Grill (2014). I still hold out hope for the Audra McDonald Gypsy revival.

The original Elphaba to those who know, Stephanie J. Block (1972) won her Tony for The Cher Show (2018) where she was, of course, Cher. No stranger to playing icons of the highest order, she made her Broadway debut in 2003, originating the role of Liza Minnelli in The Boy from Oz. In addition to eight Broadway credits, she has an extensive resume of regional, touring, and concert performances across the country, and will make her West End debut in Kiss Me, Kate this summer. She starred in the 2022 Into the Woods revival opposite her real-life husband, Sebastian Arcelus. They met starring in Wicked together on tour.

NEW PROPAGANDA AND MEDIA UNDER CUT: ALL POLLS HERE

"Audra McDonald could do anything and it would be a Tony-worthy performance. She is *the* living Diva of Broadway."

"The pandemic gave us these fascinating home videos, and this one is one of my favorites."

[sunburnacoustic]

Muse full gigs

Some full shows that are available, for anyone who wants to partially relive the Muse live experience.

I figured no one's made lists in a while.

La Cigale, Paris By-Request gig 2018

rarities + I guarantee I'm gonna fuck up Space Dementia + water spitting + Matt and Dom playing Grammy hosts in the way they announced the winners of the by-request polls

Some cool and noteworthy gigs:

Live Lounge 2012

The Mayan 2015 (performance wise this gig was stunning)

Royal Albert Hall 2008 (Teenage Cancer Trust charity gig - Megalomania on the pipe organ!)

Reading Festival 2011 (10 years of Origin of Symmetry - played the album start to finish)

AOL Sessions 2006

Reading 2006 (Muse's first time headlining if I remember right. Plus, Matt's moves!)

Glastonbury 2004 (first Glasto headline and a must-watch! Of the iconic mad-scientist, white lab coat era. Muse had called it the best gig of their life so far, at the time) (*Ruled By Secrecy was played live but wasn't included in the concert footage DVD and isn't in this video upload either)

Montreaux Jazz 2002 (height of piano maniac-ery days. Would also recommend Pinkpop 2002 but they don't. have. the footage anymore :( Space Dementia at Pinkpop 2002 was phenomenal. 2004 is also good, but I never found 2002 again. Speaking of which,)

Pinkpop 2004 (most songs are in, a few performances missing unfortunately)

MCM Café 1999 (marvel at what a good live act this young band aged 21 already was—with about 4 years of gigging experience under their belts. Insane how good they are.)

Wembley 2007 (H.A.A.R.P. The first band to sell out the newly rebuilt Wembley Stadium. 90,000 people. You need to understand, seeing Chris lift up and point his bass at the crowd at the end of the slightly modified Jimmy Jam riff before Time Is Running Out was a religious experience that changed me and we're lucky enough to live in an age where you and I can witness it over and over and over again and I'd suggest that you do)

Rock Am Ring 2018, uploaded to the Internet Archive by the Muse Historical Society!

Austin City Limits 2013 Philipshalle 1999 Philipshalle 2001 (all suggested in notes, check out the crystal clear gifs from @hotbellamy! :O )

A few additions I remembered after publishing: Eurockeennes 2000 (opened with a then-unreleased New Born. Matt playing a full gig in red sunglasses. Treat to watch. Link's stretched up to fit modern screens but if you want a bit of clarity and don't mind the late 90s ratio stretch, here's a different link) 2002 (quality's a bit shit but that is literally what telly used to look like)

Shepherd's Bush Empire 2006 (Early gigs are always interesting because over time Muse develop different ways of playing songs that are fresh off new albums. The way they work through Take A Bow live is a bit different here, Dom's the one controlling the opening verse synths! During the Abso tour, Matt would play that bit on the piano as an intro to Space Dementia and if I'm remembering right, he does now on the pianos (correct me—this was on the ST tour as well). Also, Starlight in Bm at this gig)

Rock Werchter 2023 (Muse play Rock Werchter in Belgium almost every year, except for the pandemic and 2012 I think, but this year's was a bit special. Best performance of Madness I've seen in a while, I love what he does in the outro! MOTP returns to the set. Muse had tech troubles at the end that caused them to restart Knights of Cydonia twice, to no avail. They finally cut it back for a guitar-bass-drum-vocals-only performance of Showbiz, and Matt's voice sounds exceptional on it— the best in recent years)

Bizarre Fest 2000 (BLESS SOMEONE HAS RESTORED THIS FROM VHS TAPE IN HD, this is so much better than back in the day!! If the falsetto at 1:13 doesn't do it for you, you're into the wrong band, nothing else will help. What an electric performance this was!)

Gigs from WOTP 2022/23 festivals tour last summer:

Nova Rock Rock In Rio Ejekt Fest Isle of Wight Hurricane Festival 2023 (a festival at which Matt once complained that Muse's set was cut short by... hurricanes. But the audio mixing at this gig was really good!)

These are in no particular order, and obviously not complete, I just realised no one had put together a gig archive in a while so I thought I'd give it a stab!

Will edit and add others whenever, there are obviously glaring omissions still!

[dissociacrip]

YIL portugal the man (responsible for "feel it still") has a member who is a wheelchair user!

From his bed in the ICU, the first thing Howk asked for was a guitar. Still able to use his hands, he started working on new ways to hold and position the instrument, even as he struggled to sit up without passing out. But his objective was steadfast: “It was my therapy to get back into music,” he says.

By September of that year, Howk was playing onstage, but he yearned to be on the road again. He began playing with any band that would let him come along, and he drove himself to gigs up to 1,000 miles away. “Figuring out how to play a show is one thing,” he says. “Figuring out how to tour was a much longer process. And that’s still something I’m trying to figure out.”

For years, the rock band Portugal. The Man had their eyes on Howk to join the group. Howk grew up in Wasilla, Alaska, with founding members John Baldwin Gourley and Zach Carothers, but Howk was always busy in other bands.

“Growing up with Eric, he was always the best guitarist we knew,” says Gourley, PTM’s frontman. “He was always the dude you’d see in the hallway, just hanging out and playing guitar every day.”

But joining a major touring band as a wheelchair user presented a myriad of accessibility challenges for Howk. In the years that followed his injury, he avoided flying on planes, but PTM played gigs across the U.S. and traveled abroad. When it came to venues, most didn’t have a working wheelchair lift—and many didn’t even have a ramp. And accessible tour buses? According to the band, only two exist in the U.S.

“In our brain, we were just thinking about logistics, trying to plan everything out with buses, stages, with backstage, with festivals,” says Carothers, PTM’s bassist. “We were overthinking, just lost in our minds.”

As they struggled to come up with a strategy, Gourley told the band they’d simply make it work. “John is a real good person when something demands action,” Carothers adds. “He brought out the Alaskan and was like, ‘Let’s just do it.’ That’s how we do everything in life, so let’s just jump in and learn to swim.”

So, as a band, they swam. And they flew. And they lifted Howk on and off the tour bus—or wherever he needed to be if it was inaccessible. Together they made touring work, taking on each challenge day by day.

“They make it accessible, just by carrying me on and off, you know?” Howk says with emotion in his voice. “There’s this one-size-fits-all approach to accessibility for a lot of things. But having flexibility and adaptability gets things done better. Sometimes it’s smarter. Sometimes it’s harder. But with every situation that we’re in, we approach it as the situation comes. That’s very much the spirit of this band, and I don’t think I could do this with anybody else. I know I couldn’t.”

Since Howk joined PTM in 2015, the band’s profile skyrocketed. In 2017, Portugal. The Man released its eighth studio album, Woodstock. The album produced two No. 1 hits on the alternative charts in the U.S., including the explosive megahit “Feel It Still.” That song nabbed the group a Grammy in 2018, and they took their success on the road. The band toured across the U.S., Europe and Australia with Howk, who gathered data on the accessibility of every venue they visited—the good, the bad, the despicable.

[...]

Portugal The Man wanted disabled fans to get the opportunity to see them live, so for their most recent North American tour in 2022, they launched PTM Night Out, a charitable initiative created to make their concerts ADA accessible. Select winners were given VIP treatment, with transportation to and from the venue, as well as an on-site escort and an exclusive meet-and-greet with the band. “It’s a discovery and research project more than anything,” Howk says. “I don’t think that accessibility in ticketing for a lot of companies is working the best way. We know that it’s not one-size-fits-all, so it’s about having conversations. It’s easy to get hyperfocused on mobility access, but that’s just a tiny part of it.”

Howk says solutions emerge from asking people what they need and not by shoving them into a designated area. It’s about asking concertgoers where they want to be, depending on their needs.

After a successful pilot program—and with a new album on the horizon—the band hopes to take PTM Night Out on tour around the world, pushing venues to do better. “We’re seeing actual concrete getting mixed in wheelbarrows, like real-time repairs in venues where they’re listening,” Howk says. “We’re doing audits and doing the work.”

dated jan. 4th, 2023

would've been really cool to watch them play at the festival yesterday in light of this news but i had no clue 🥲

[frazzledsoul]

For the ask game, 5 and 2 (I just love seeing what people’s handwriting looks like, but it’s okay if you don’t want to do that one!)

Copy of my handwriting:

This is the (end of) my Literati headcanon that has been in my head for the past five years and that I may write (more) fic about someday

Why did I start my blog?

Okay, back in the late 00s I was really into American Idol. It was its own weird subculture and it had its own sub-fandoms and drama and blogs and stuff. Specifically, I was into David Cook (probably best known for being the first WGWG - white guy with guitar - winner) and then Kris Allen (best known for being the guy that beat Adam Lambert). I started listening to a lot more music because of these two guys and then going to lots of concerts, including concerts of much hipper people because I was really into alt country for a while. That all stopped in 2018 but it was a fun decade.

Anyhoo, the point here is that a lot of Cook fans started Tumblr blogs because we were doing thirty song a day challenges and also I was playing a dirty song game called "Change Heart In Song Title To Vagina" and I wanted to put the results here. All the Idol-centric people abandoned Tumblr and don't seem to use SM much anymore. But that is what started my Tumblr saga in 2009 or so.

[adventuretimetournament]

Current Tournament: Best of Finn's Swords

Welcome to Adventure Time Tournament, where tournaments are held for the show Adventure Time (2010-2018)!

The current tournament, suggested by @fissionmonkey, is for ranking Finn's swords that he uses throughout the series. This will not include every single sword (presumably) owned by Finn, only the swords he has wielded or attempted to wield in battle.

Current round: 2 (7 swords, 3 matches)

Eliminated round 1: Steel Sword, Dungeon Sword, Small Sword, Yellow Dagger, Root Sword, Dual Swords, Sword of the Dead

Eliminated round 2: N/A

Q&A

This description is off!

I checked my descriptions with someone more knowledgeable about swords, but if you think something could be more accurate, please let me know and I'll fix it.

Past Winners

Best "Skippable" Episode

First place: Jake the Brick

Second place: Time Sandwich

Third place: Don't Look

Best "Required" Episode

First place: I Remember You

Second place: What Was Missing

Third place: Simon & Marcy

Best Fionna & Cake Episode

First place: Bad Little Boy

Second place: Fionna and Cake

Third place: Five Short Tables

Best Miniseries Episode

First place: Everything Stays

Second place: Min and Marty

Third place: Checkmate

Best Marceline Look

First place: Concert

Second place: Your Problem

Third place: Varsity Jacket

Best Guest-Animated Episode

First place: Ketchup

Second place: Food Chain

Third place: A Glitch Is a Glitch

Best Bubblegum Look

First place: Vampire Hunter

Second place: Send-Off

Third place: Band Member

Best Flame Princess Look

First place: Sharpshooter

Second place: Croquet

Third place: Long Live the Queen

Best Song

First place: Everything Stays

Second place: I'm Just Your Problem

Third place: Time Adventure

[blackveilblasphemy]

Ok I need to share this with SOMEONE: a few years ago scarlet cross was on the radio a lot and my wife really got into the phantom tomorrow. And it really brought me back to BVB so I was like “Let’s watch some of the music videos!!!”

But I didn’t actually tell her that, I just queued scarlet cross while she was getting a snack and hit play when she came back.

And the words that followed will live with me forever and ever, amen:

“Who is that Draco Malfoy Twink looking motherfucker?”

Anyway I married a winner and we’re gonna go see the bleeders tour.

i mean, not an entirely inaccurate description. she hadn't seen him before the music videos at all?

it's nice to share interests with the people that are close to you. i'm lucky, my family supports my love of bvb and will come with me to go see them at concerts.

i actually haven't been able to see bvb since 2018 because all the shows i've bought tickets for have gotten cancelled for one reason or another.

i hope everything goes well and you guys have fun at the show!

[shefanispeculator]

Seeing Stars! The 9 Most Successful 'Voice' Competitors of All Time

'The Voice' may never find its Carrie Underwood but that's okay.

One of the major complaints about The Voice is that it has yet to launch a major recording career like American Idol did in its early days. But host Carson Daly says that the days of discovering a Carrie Underwood or Kelly Clarkson on a TV show are long gone.

“Your measuring stick is antiquated because of the way that technology has proliferated,” Daly exclusively tells Parade. “For instance, I could never do TRL [his Total Request Live show] again because this generation has the internet and doesn’t need MTV to get music. There are a lot of YouTubers, and my kids listen to music of people that you have never heard of, that I have never heard of. For some people, just getting to a place where they can support themselves making music, thanks to The Voice—that’s winning.”

And The Voice has several of those types of winners. Former contestants, including a couple of Grammy nominees, who are grateful to the show because their lives changed 100 percent, because as a result of appearing on The Voice, they now make their entire living making music, rather than having to have a day job to pay the bills.

Most Successful Voice Competitors

Koryn Hawthorne (Season 8)

was a member of Pharrell Williams’ team and finished fourth in her season. She has gone on to have a successful gospel career and was nominated twice for Grammys in the Gospel Performance/Song category: in 2019 for “Won’t He Do It” and in 2020 for “Speak the Name.” She has received several other nominations as well, including Billboard Awards and Soul Train Music Awards. She even broke the record for the longest chart-topping woman on the Hot Gospel Songs chart.

Nicolle Galyon (Season 2)

got just one coach to turn (Adam Levine) when she sang “You Save Me” during her Blind Audition. The country singer was eliminated during the Battle Rounds but made a discovery along the way: She didn’t want to sing, she wanted to write songs. While on the show, she met performers RaeLynn and Miranda Lambert (who was married to Blake Shelton at the time) and credits those friendships for launching her songwriting career. She earned her first No. 1 song with “We Were Us,” performed by Keith Urban and Lambert. She also has co-written songs for Lady A, Kenny Chesney, Florida Georgia Line and many others and co-wrote and co-produced RaeLynn’s first full-length album, WildHorse. Gaylon has two Grammy nominations for Best Country Song: in 2015 for Miranda Lambert’s “Automatic” and in 2019 for Dan + Shay’s “Tequila.”

Cassadee Pope (Season 3)

was the first female country singer to win The Voice. The former member of Blake Shelton's team has gone on to find success in country music, but a high point was when she and Chris Young received a Grammy nomination for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Think of You” in 2017.  Her single "Tomorrow Night" was released in Sept. and was followed by her third album, Thrive, in October.

Christina Grimmie (Season 3)

finished in third place on The Voice, and went on to open for Selena Gomez and The Scene, and perform backup vocals for Allstar Weekend and the Jonas Brothers. Christina's career was on the upswing—she had 2 million YouTube subscribers—when she was shot to death during a post-concert meet-and-greet with fans on June 10, 2016, in Orlando, Fla. She was 22.

Danielle Bradbery (Season 4 winner)

was only 16 when she won The Voice, the youngest winner at that point in time but no longer the record. Since graduating from Team Blake Shelton, Bradbery has gone on to have a successful country music career with 15 songs on the Hot Country chart, including "Goodbye Summer" with Thomas Rhett which rose to No. 39 in 2018. Her 2020 single "Never Have I Ever" reached No. 58 on U.S. Country Airplay, and her most-streamed song, "Sway," has 50 million streams. In July 2021, she released her latest single, "Stop Draggin' Your Boots."

Morgan Wallen (Season 6)

who was initially on Team Usher, but later stolen by Adam Levine, was eliminated in the Playoffs but soon headed to Nashville to try his hand at country music, rather than the pop songs he sang on the show. He had almost instant success, dropping four No. 1 singles, winning the CMA award for New Artist of the Year and releasing the double album Dangerous. “He was being hailed as the next big thing, maybe the next big crossover artist from country,” executive producer Audrey Morrissey says. Today, Wallen is more famous for getting in trouble. He got booted off of Saturday Night Live for breaking COVID-19 protocols in late 2020 and was banned from country radio after he was caught on video hollering a racial slur in February 2021.

Jordan Smith (Season 9)

was a four-chair turn who chose Team Adam. He went on to write “Ashes” for the Deadpool 2 soundtrack, which was performed by Celine Dion. In addition, he's had three No. 1 songs on the Hot Christian Songs chart and three top 10s. Jordan represented the state of Kentucky for NBC’s American Song Contest in 2022, for which he wrote and performed “Sparrow.” He finished in third place.

Sawyer Fredericks (Season 8)

The winner from Team Pharrell had an original song, “Silent World,” featured on the Season 6 debut of the Netflix original series Longmire, which aired in 2017, and his song “This Fire” was covered by John Ondrasik for a 2018 episode of Code Black. His  latest album debuted in 2020 called Flowers for You.

Loren Allred (Season 3)

was eliminated in the Playoffs but went on to make her Billboard Hot 100 debut with the Platinum-selling "Never Enough" from the musical soundtrack to The Greatest Showman. This past January, she was the featured singer on the original song “Start a Wave” when “World of Color – One” for Disney 100 debuted at Disneyland. Strangely, though, she made a return to reality TV, auditioning for Britain’s Got Talent’s 15th season in 2022, finishing in ninth place. In addition, she performs on Michael Bublé's Love album for a duet of "Help Me Make It Through the Night," and alongside David Foster, as part of his An Intimate Evening PBS concert special and album.

The 9 Most Successful 'Voice' Contestants of All Time - Parade

[waterlight]

2nd House signs as AOTY winners

Disclaimer:

Aquarius 2nd House isn't in this list because no band or artist with this placement has won it, at least for the people we know about the birth time.

Do you want to win an AOTY? Have a Scorpio 2nd House.

Some AOTY winners won't be present because we don't know their birth time

When you read 'ruled by', it means the 2nd House is ruled by that planet.

Aries 2nd House

The Beatles (ruled by Gemini Mars in the 4th House): they won it for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1968), it was associated with numerous touchstones of the era's youth culture, such as fashion, drugs, mysticism, and a sense of optimism and empowerment.

Michael Jackson (ruled by Taurus Mars in the 2nd House): he won it for Thriller (1984), itforeshadows the contradictory themes of Jackson's personal life, as he began using a motif of paranoia and darker themes. It is the best-selling album of all time, with sales of 70 million copies worldwide.

Whitney Houston (ruled by Libra Mars in the 7th House): she won it for The Bodyguard Soundtrack (1994), the album gave Houston the distinction of having the most weeks at number one by a female artist on Billboard 200, holding that record for 19 years until being surpassed by Adele's album 21 (2011).

Billie Eilish (ruled by Pisces Mars in the 12th House): she won it for When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2020), its songs explore themes such as modern youth, drug addiction, heartbreak, suicide, and mental health, with lyrical sensibilities of humor and horror. Eilish said the album was inspired in part by lucid dreaming and night terrors, which are reflected on the cover photo.

Others: Herbie Hancock (ruled by Gemini Mars in the 3rd House; with Jupiter, Sun, Saturn and Uranus): The Joni Letters (2008). Bruno Mars (ruled by Virgo Mars in the 7th House): 24k Magic (2018)

Taurus 2nd House

Barbra Streisand (ruled by Venus Pisces in the 12th House; with Saturn and Uranus): she won it for The Barbra Streisand Album (1964); Streisand said about the title, "'What is the truth of it? It's the Barbra Streisand album.' If you saw me on TV, you could just go [to the record shop] and ask for the Barbra Streisand album. It's common sense."

Beck (ruled by Leo Venus in the 6th House; with Saturn): he won it for Morning Phase (2015).

Others: John Lennon (ruled by Virgo Venus in the 6th House): Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1968, with The Beatles), Double Fantasy (1982, with Yoko Ono).

Gemini 2nd House

Bonnie Raitt (ruled by Scorpio Mercury in the 7th House; with Moon): she won it for Nick of Time (1990), many of the songs deal with personal issues Raitt was struggling with at the time. For example, the album's title track is about coming to terms with middle age.

Kacey Musgraves (ruled by Virgo Mercury in the 5th House): she won it for Golden Hour (2019), it's a country pop record, it also contains elements of disco, electropop, electronica, and yacht rock.

Cancer 2nd House

Judy Garland (ruled by Sagittarius Moon in the 6th House; with Neptune): the first woman to win AOTY, she won it for Judy at Carnegie Hall (1962), a live recording of a concert of hers in New York.

Adele (ruled by Sagittarius Moon in the 6th House): she won it for 21 (2012), composed in the aftermath of the singer's separation from her then partner, the album explores themes of heartbreak, healing, introspection, and forgiveness; and 25 (2017), its lyrical content features themes of Adele "yearning for her old self, her nostalgia", and "melancholia about the passage of time" according to an interview with the singer by Rolling Stone, as well as themes of motherhood, new love, and regret.

Leo 2nd House

Henry Mancini (ruled by Aries Sun in the 10th house; with North Node and Neptune): the first AOTY winner, he won it for The Music from Peter Gunn (1959), a soundtrack album for the TV series Peter Gunn.

João Gilberto (ruled by Gemini Sun in the 12th house; with Mars and Neptune): he won it together with Stan Getz for the album 'Getz/Gilberto" (1965), it's considered the record that popularized bossa nova worldwide and is one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time, selling over one million copies.

George Michael (ruled by Cancer Sun in the 12th House; with Moon): he won it for Faith (1989), in addition to playing various instruments on the album, Michael wrote and produced every track on the recording except for one, "Look at Your Hands". Faith's songs include introspective lyrics, which generated controversies about Michael's personal relationships at that time.

Alanis Morissette (ruled by Gemini Sun in the 11th House): she won it for Jagged Little Pill (1996). The lyrics touch upon themes of aggression and unsuccessful relationships, while Ballard introduced a pop sensibility to Morissette's angst.

Others: Billy Joel (ruled by Taurus Sun in the 11th House; with Pluto): 52nd Street (1980). Celine Dion (ruled by Aries Sun in the 9th House; with Jupiter [R]): Falling into You (1997)

Virgo 2nd House

Natalie Cole (ruled by Capricorn Mercury in the 5th House; with Mars, Moon and Neptune [R]): she won it for Unforgettable... with Love (1992), the album includes covers of standards previously performed by her father, Nat King Cole. She became the first African-American woman to win the award.

Lauryn Hill (ruled by Gemini Mercury in the 10th House; with Pluto [R]): she won it for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1999), it is a neo-soul and R&B album with some songs based in hip hop soul and reggae. Its lyrics touch upon Hill's pregnancy and the turmoil within her former group the Fugees, along with themes of love and God. In 2000, the band Santana wins AOTY for Supernatural, Lauryn is credited as producer.

Other: Art Garfunkel (ruled by Libra Mercury in the 3rd House; with Neptune and North Node): Bridge Over Troubled Water (1971, with Paul Simon).

Libra 2nd House

Paul Simon (ruled by Sagittarius Venus in the 4th House; with Sun): he won it in 1971 for Bridge over Troubled Water together with Art Garfunkel; in 1976 with Still Crazy After All These Times; in 1987 for Graceland, it features an eclectic mixture of genres, including pop, rock, a cappella, zydeco, isicathamiya and mbaqanga. Simon wrote songs inspired by the recordings made in Johannesburg, collaborating with African and American artists. He received criticism for breaking the cultural boycott of South Africa because of its policy of apartheid.

Scorpio 2nd House

Frank Sinatra (ruled by Leo Mars in the 10th house; with Mercury and Sun): he won it for Come Dance With Me! (1959), September Of My Years (1966) whose theme is exlopiring the "who am I" questions that a man faces upon entering the middle age, A Man and His Music (1967) which provides a retrospective of his musical career.

Bob Newhart (ruled by Libra Mars in the 12th house; with Saturn): he won it for The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart (1961), the first comedy album to win AOTY.

Stevie Wonder (ruled by Virgo Mars in the 12th House): he won it for Innervisions (1974), the album has been regarded as his transition from the "Little Stevie Wonder" known for romantic ballads into a more musically mature, conscious, and grown-up artist; Fulfillingness' First Finale (1975); Songs in the Key of Life (1977), widely regarded as his magnum opus and one of the greatest albums in the history of recorded music, many musicians have remarked on the quality of the album and its influence on their own work.

Eric Clapton (ruled by Pisces Mars in the 4th House): in addiction to his award for the Concert for Bangladesh credited to George Harrison & Friends, he won it for Unplugged (1993).

Quincy Jones (ruled by Virgo Mars in the 11th House): in addiction for his AOTY for Thriller which he produced, he won it for Back on the Block which features legendary musicians and singers from across three generations.

Yoko Ono (ruled by Virgo Mars [R] in the 12th House): she won it together with John Lennon for the record 'Double Fantasy', upon its release, the album stalled on music charts and received largely negative reviews from music critics, with many focusing on the album's idealisation of Lennon and Ono's marriage. However, following Lennon's murder three weeks after its release, it became a worldwide commercial success.

Harry Styles (ruled by Aquarius Mars in the 3rd House; with Pluto and North Node): he won it for Harry's House (2023)

Others: Carole King (ruled by Taurus Mars in the 7th House; with Moon): Tapestry (1972). Phil Collins (ruled by Pisces Mars in the 4th House): No Jacket Required (1986).

Sagittarius 2nd House

George Harrison (ruled by Cancer Jupiter [R] in the 9th house): in addition to his award with the Beatles, he won an AOTY in 1973 with The Concert for Bangladesh credited to 'George Harrison & Friends'. The shows were a pioneering charity event, in aid of the homeless Bengali refugees of the Bangladesh Liberation War, and set the model for future multi-artist rock benefits such as Live Aid (1985) and the Concert for New York City (2001).

Other: Glen Campbell (ruled by Sagittarius Jupiter [R] in the 2nd House with North Node): By the Time I Get To Phoenix (1969).

Capricorn 2nd House

Bob Dylan (ruled by Taurus Saturn in the 5th House; with Mars): in addiction to his award for The Concert for Bangla Desh (1973) credited to George Harrison & Friends, he won AOTY for Time Out of Mind (1998). For many fans and critics, the album marked Dylan's artistic comeback after he appeared to struggle with his musical identity throughout the 1980s.

Other: Robert Plant (ruled by Leo Saturn in the 9th House): Raising Sand (2009, Alison Krauss)

Pisces 2nd House

Christopher Cross (ruled by Aries Jupiter in the 2nd House with North Node and Moon): he won it for his self-titled album Christopher Cross (1981).

Other: Alison Krauss (ruled by Scorpio Jupiter in the 10th House): Raising Sand (2009, Robert Plant).

[banqanas]

D.U.N.K Chapter 2 - Episode 1 (FANTASTICS cut)

Watch the full episode on TVer

FANTASTICS will be appearing on the second day for the large-scale music and dance project, D.U.N.K (Dance Universe Never Killed).

SKY-HI: And from LDH, we have FANTASTICS. Thank you for joining, really.

Narrator: FANTASTICS, who had their major debut in 2018, is a group with twin vocals and 6 performers. They held their first ever arena concert this year and was able to amass a total of 80 thousand audience in 6 shows.

SKY-HI: (FANTASTICS) is the group that truly inherited LDH’s golden pattern of distinguishing their “performers” and “vocals.”*

In the first chapter, we had GENERATIONS on stage. As expected of a group that has 10 years of experience under their belt, they really showcased how to make a performance that grabs people.

So in that regard, I’m actually really looking forward to seeing what kind of stage FANTASTICS will bring to the table.

They have SEKAI-kun, right.

Winner in the HIP HOP category at a dance competition in New York

SKY-HI: We’re talking about… THE SEKAI. I’m really excited to have him on stage. We might even battle.

Judging the winner will be hard, though…

But I still think it’ll be better if we add a (dance) battle to the program.

FANTASTICS

Sato Taiki: SKY-HI called you by name and said he wanted to dance battle with you.

SEKAI: If he’ll have me, I’d be honored!

SEKAI: Yusei wants to dance battle too, right? He’s the one who dresses like a dancer the most right now. Why are you acting like a rapper!

Sato Taiki: D.U.N.K is all about the showcase collaboration between groups on stage.

SEKAI: You’re all pretty much the same generation with the other groups members, right?

Sato Taiki: Nacchan, Keito, Yusei and BE:FIRST’s RYOKI have worked together before.

Natsuki, Kimura, Yagi: That’s right. We were together in HiGH&LOW THE WORST X movie.

Kimura Keito: Recently, I’ve been meeting RYOKI at sauna houses. And one time he invited me out to karaoke and JUNON, MANATO and SOTA were there and we just listened to BE:FIRST songs.

SEKAI: Did you return the favour to them?

Kimura Keito: I did sing a bit…

Nakajima Sota: I also went out to eat with BE:FIRST’s SOTA a few times. We also sang karaoke together as the SOTA² duo.

Hori Natsuki: Even before BE:FIRST was formed, I’ve always loved SOTA’s dancing. I always watch his videos and would like them from (FANTASTIC’s) official account.

Others: Wait, how come we didn't know? On our account? LOL

Hori Natsuki: I already want to go on stage right now so I can tell him that.

Sato Taiki: By the way, let’s make a simulation on how to greet SKY-HI when we meet.

COMING SOON! Greeting SKY-HI simulation

TL note:

*The LDH golden pattern is where a group is formed with only performers and focused on dance performances. Vocalists were added to the group afterwards. EXILE was originally formed with this concept and FANTASTICS followed the same rule during the group’s formation.

[d-criss-news]

An Evening with Darren Criss by CUPB Cornell University Program Board

Sat, Apr 13, 2024 5 PM – 6 PM EDT (GMT-4) Statler Hall

Join the Cornell Program Board and the Cornell Asian Pacific Student Union for an exclusive Q&A event featuring the multi-talented Darren Criss! Happening on Saturday, April 13th at 5 pm in Statler Hall this event is an insightful conversation with the Emmy-winning actor, singer, and songwriter.

Since bursting onto the pop-culture landscape over a decade ago in Fox’s hit TV show GLEE, Emmy and Golden Globe winner Darren Criss has embodied the kind of kaleidoscopic artistry that’s entirely uninhibited by form or genre. For this concert, Darren will be performing well known songs featured throughout his wildly eclectic career as both a songwriter and performer, including those from Glee, Starkid and the Broadway shows he’s starred in.

Before Darren Criss exploded into the internet’s subculture as both an actor and songwriter for the YouTube viral hit A Very Potter Musical in 2009, he had made a small name for himself playing unique interpretations of popular songs he’d perform at cafes and bars in his hometown of San Francisco. Little did he know that the same knack for covering tunes would serve him well in 2010, when he was cast on FOX’s massively successful musical series Glee, from which many of his performances of popular songs would lead to several Billboard-topping records. In 2015 his songwriting also landed an Emmy nomination for Best Original Music and Lyrics, from penning the song “This Time” for the show’s series finale. Criss has continued to write and produce music extensively through the years, whether for his own releases as an artist or as a songwriter for theater, film & television. In 2019 Criss created, executive produced, starred in, and provided all the original songs for his short-form musical comedy series Royalties, and earlier this year provided the music & lyrics for the opening number of the 2022 Tony Awards: Act One. As an artist, he most recently delivered a genre-diverse collection of "character-driven" singles as part of his 2021 solo EP titled “Masquerade” (BMG) , and in the same year, released a full-length Christmas album titled- aptly- A Very Darren Crissmas (Decca).

As an actor, Criss is a veteran of the stage whose Broadway credits include the titular role of Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2015), How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (2012), and the most recent 2022 revival of David Mamet’s seminal play American Buffalo alongside Laurence Fishburne and Sam Rockwell. In 2018 his work in Ryan Murphy’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story received wide critical acclaim, earning him a Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and Critics’ Choice Award. He was most recently seen starring in Netflix’s hit series Hollywood, for which he also served as executive producer.

Don't miss this opportunity to hear from one of Hollywood's brightest stars and engage in meaningful dialogue about his career, influences, and future projects. Mark your calendars and join us for an unforgettable event!

[placegrenette]

This is the first all-Russian interview they've done in ages. (I still don't feel like I can conclusively answer the question of who feels comfortable speaking Russian to whom, and when, and for what purpose; I wish I did.) And in the meantime LLM language translation capabilities have developed to the point that you can ask YouTube to not only generate Russian subtitles, but translate those subtitles on the fly, and not get gibberish.

To be clear: the result isn't nearly as far from gibberish as we would like. I'd say the machine-generated subtitles can get you 20-30% of the way to actual comprehension. Which is a ways off from actually being able to understand them, and also, nevertheless, a huge step up from zero.

Machine-generated translation of the timestamps:

0:00 - start 00:59 - where did you come from for the Ninety One interview 01:27 - Alem what is happening in Kazakhstan Dauysy 02:00 - about children at "Kazakhstan Dauysy" 06:35 - about the new album 18:30 - courses on the fulfillment of desires from Zaq 19:55 - about the development of the festival industry 23:00 - about popularity and fans 23:40 - about the concerts of Beyoncé, The Weeknd, Maroon 5 26:47 - about the cancellation of the performance of Say Mo and unscrupulous organizers 27:31 - about responsibility to the fans, about communication with the organizers 29:31 - about contemporary artists 31:50 - about Kazakh rap, about the cool sound of the language 35:00 - about beefs and battles of rappers 40:44 - about creating your own label 41:31 - Bala about the second wind in creativity thanks to dancing 43:18 - Bala on ideas for creating dance battles 45:25 - Zaq is the winner of the International Russian Language Olympiad 51:10 - about critical thinking 55.30– Kazakhstan - the country of instant karma 58:00 - about stress, love and acceptance 59:30 - about transforming yourself 1:05:10 - rules of life

I continue to be grateful to Kazakhstani interviewers (in whatever language) and their ongoing allergy to simple filler questions.

I did listen to / attempt to read the subtitles of the section about Gap, since I'm still thinking about the album -- yes, we're well past "thinking" and into "overthinking" at this point, but one, that's what I do, and two, even if you take out the translation difficulties I'm not sure they're being crystal clear about the album goals and their motivations. At one point ZaQ says something about the Gap era not starting or ending with this album; at another he says something about there being songs that they wanted to release in 2018 (I feel a little more confident with these quotes, as they dovetail with translations the lovely Sara has made independently). But going back to any songs they created in 2018 would have been difficult, as they would have had to strip out AZ's planned parts, no? Tying Gap into Dopamine explains some parts of the pre-album symbolism-fest (specifically, all the references to "Why'm"; in fact I've started thinking about "Jur Mapelep" as a sequel to "Why'm") but doesn't explain why they referenced their 2091 concept, which postdates Dopamine (and which I never got fully explained to me, to be honest), in the "Biz" music video.

I haven't listened-to-slash-read the rest of the interview; I suspect from 51 minutes on the distance between their actual words and Google Translate's renditions of such will frustrate me more than teach me anything. But if something particularly striking emerges I'll come back and let you know.

[broadwaydivastournament]

Broadway Divas Tournament: Round 1A

The original Elphaba to those who know, Stephanie J. Block (1972) won her Tony for The Cher Show (2018) where she was, of course, Cher. No stranger to playing icons of the highest order, she made her Broadway debut in 2003, originating the role of Liza Minnelli in The Boy from Oz. In addition to eight Broadway credits, she has an extensive resume of regional, touring, and concert performances across the country, and will make her West End debut in Kiss Me, Kate this summer. She starred in the 2022 Into the Woods revival opposite her real-life husband, Sebastian Arcelus. They met starring in Wicked together on tour.

The leading lesbian of Broadway, Cherry Jones (1956) is a two-time Tony winner for The Heiress (1995) and Doubt: A Parable (2005). She has fifteen Broadway credits to her good name, including everyone's favorite gay fantasia Angels in America, and a slew of credits beyond. She was a founding member of the American Repertory Theatre, has two Emmys, and has been married to Sophie Huber since 2015. The televised kiss she shared with then-girlfriend Sarah Paulson after winning her second Tony stirred up a good deal of controversy back then, but is iconic now.

PROPOGANDA AND MEDIA UNDER CUT:

"Stephanie J. Block knows what you mean when you call her "MOTHER" online, and she is delighted by it. One of the great Broadway belters who sounds good and not just loud, Stephanie can also talk the hind leg off a mule. Go to one of her concerts, and you're treated to her yammering on about anything and everything, and you will love every minute."

"Forcing the dykes of tumblr to choose between one of their beloved Elphabas and actual dyke Cherry Jones is psychological warfare. This woman is an icon, a legend, a titan among Broadway stars. She's in an age-gap lesbian marriage and once dated Sarah Paulson. Come on. Prime lesbian candidate on this tournament."

[because-its-eurovision]

Do you have a favourite gig/concert/eurovision you've been to?

Hi!! 🖤 These three are the ones I can think of right off the bat:

Favourite Eurovision: Stockholm 2016

Of all the live shows I've been to so far (2015, 2016, 2018, 2022), Stockholm takes the prize by a large margin. Everything was neat, well organized, punctual and the staff of Globen was funny, friendly and knew what they were doing (cannot be said about every country😶) . The songs were great, postcards were cute and sketches funny, Måns & Petra were fantastic hosts, Love Love Peace Peace is my favorite interval act of all time (we saw Lordi!), Globen had a lovely athmosphere and audience, flag parade in the grand final still gives me chills and 1944 is my favorite winner of the last 15 years or so. Not to mention we met some very lovely people from Finland & Germany & Iceland in the front row every single night 😭💗 and ended up on the front page of Dagens Nyheter and accidentally gave an interview to some German radio show 😂

Favorite concert: Nightwish at Hartwall Arena in 2009

The final show of Dark Passion Play world tour. We got to the second or third row on Tuomas's side. The arena was packed and the audience started making waves all by themselves and cheering when we were waiting for the show to start :') Anette was at top of her vocal game that night, they played Dead Boy's Poem and Meadows of Heaven and Walking in the Air and Ghost Love Score and The Siren which was accompanied by violinist Pekka Kuusisto who is of course mind-blowingly talented, and Troy Donockley was there with his bagpipes, and they had of course large screens and pyros and fireworks and dress changes, and rainfall and snow and confetti and it was perhaps the best show I have EVER seen in my life and I miss that Nightwish so much 😭😭🖤

Favorite gig: Kotiteollisuus at Tavastia 2011

First of all, it's Tavastia. Made it to first row very easily. I used to be a big Kotiteollisuus fan around 2006-2011, not least because Tuomas Holopainen used to tour with them in 2005-2006 when Nightwish was on hiatus after breaking up with Tarja and before finding Anette. In any case I remember this gig because I had seen Kotiteollisuus in Helsinki at Virgin Oil Co. maybe six months earlier, and that was the worst show I had ever been to - they had returned from a short break, hadn't really practised the songs, were a bit too drunk and on top of that there were so many technical problems that they actually cut the evening short. They did later apologise and said how ashamed and sorry they were for underperforming at Virgin Oil. And since I did still like their music and knew how great performes they could be on a good day, I decided to give them one more chance because everybody has mishaps. I'm glad I did, because the show at Tavastia was full of energy and practically perfect, and they played Satu peikoista which nobody was expecting and I just love that song so much. I also managed to get the setlist. It is the only one I have that was written by hand backstage right before the show and not just printed out. It is one of my greatest treasures.